Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Celebrating Mary Stewart Week

Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart

Here we are in the second annual Mary Stewart Reading Week, hosted by Anbolyn of Gudrun's Tights.  Though I have read the first two of Stewart's Merlin books to pieces over the years, I had only read one of her modern suspense novels, which did not inspire me to read more.  But last year Anbolyn's posts about her books did, and I began collecting them.  My favorite, far and away, has been The Ivy Tree (though Nine Coaches Waiting is also pretty amazing).  I think The Ivy Tree has become the standard against which I measure her other books.

In choosing what to read for this week, I was spoiled for choice, with seven on the TBR stacks.  I had originally planned to finish the Merlin trilogy with The Last Enchantment.  But I've had Touch Not the Cat in mind ever since a poll about Mary Stewart's books suggested it as the perfect one for me (now I can't find the link to it).  I was also encouraged by my friend Susan, a fellow Heyer and Wodehouse reader (among many other authors), who told me it is her favorite of Stewart's books. [Correction: it's third on her list, not her top favorite.]  I was glad to hear that, because I had actually started this book once before and given up on it in the second chapter.

I had read nothing about this book, even the back cover of my tattered paperback, but the first line set the stage for the story that follows: "My lover came to me on the last night in April, with a message and a warning that sent me home to him."  The speaker is Bryony Ashley.  The message she receives concerns her father Jonathan, who has been the victim of a hit-and-run accident in Germany - which may not have been an accident.  Bryony arrives too late to see him. She is left with the disconnected words he muttered in his last moments, about danger to her, and about papers and books and keys, and a cat.  She takes those words and his ashes back to their home in England, Ashley Court, "a moated manor that was built piecemeal by a series of owners from the Saxons on, none of whom had heard of damp courses . . ."  Due to an entail, the Court passes to the next male heir, her cousin Howard, whose three sons spent much of their childhood at the Court with Bryony's family.  There is her father's estate to sort out, and her own future, as well as her unease over his death.  Her cousins meanwhile have to decide what to do about the crumbling Court, which even the National Trust won't take on, despite its ancient history.

I found much to enjoy in this book, particularly after Bryony returns to England and settles again into life at the Court - starting with the cozy small cottage where she actually lives, the kind many of Stewart's heroines inherit.  She meets old friends again, including the Vicar of the parish. And there is Rob Granger, the son of a local farmer, who grew up with the Ashley children and now works at the Court.  It was fun to explore the Court, with its moat and maze and grand library.  And I like mysteries that involve complicated family situations, with wills and entails and all-too-convenient deaths.

What did not work so well for me was Bryony's lover.  Normally, I also enjoy supernatural elements to a story, as in Barbara Michaels' books.  Here a strain of telepathy runs through the Ashley family, all the way back to an ancestress who was burned for a witch.  All her life Bryony has had this link with someone, a man around her own age, with whom she shares "sudden blocks of intelligence that are thrust into one's mind and slotted and locked there . . ."  She doesn't know who it is, though she suspects it is one of her Ashley cousins.  He knows who she is, though.  So I couldn't quite work out why she doesn't know who he is.  She used to address him as "Boy" or "Ashley," but now calls him "Lover," because as they matured their connection has changed.  "And if it seems absurd that one should need and offer love without knowing the body one offers it to, I suppose that unconsciously the body dictates a need which the mind supplies."  Huh? That almost makes it sounds like her mind invented this lover!  I was quite willing to take him on faith, so I found the various attempts to explain and define their connection confusing, unnecessary distractions.  It didn't help that every time Bryony called him "Lover," I had this flash of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in "Dirty Dancing" ("How do you call your lover boy?")  On the other hand, I identified the Lover long before Bryony did, even if I had to check ahead to be sure I was right.

This wasn't my favorite of Mary Stewart's books - I don't think it measures up to The Ivy Tree - but I have a feeling I will enjoy it more in the re-reading.

N.B. I am also counting this book in the R.I.P IX Challenge, as the first toward my goal of Peril the First.

16 comments:

  1. Actually The Moonspinners is my favorite, then The Crystal Cave, then Touch Not the Cat. But the romance is my favorite part! I also very much like the framing with the flashback story and good old Romeo & Juliet. Especially the use of the nightingale/lark.

    -Susan

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  2. OOOOPS, sorry for misquoting you, Susan! I haven't read The Moonspinners yet - in fact, I don't yet have a copy. I'll need to remedy that :) But I agree with you about The Crystal Cave.

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  3. Oh, I might have actually SAID Touch Not the Cat was my favorite but I wasn't thinking it through. I've been doing a Mary Stewart read-through lately and Moonspinners is the clear winner. Of course it's the first one I read and that might be why.

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  4. Touch Not the Cat was the second Stewart I read and the more of her novels I read the further it slips down the list - and I do think it is because of the weird supernatural element. It doesn't work here as well as it worked in Thornyhold. However, I did love the setting and the family entanglements. The maze scene was fantastic!

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  5. Susan, I didn't want to argue, but I was pretty sure I remembered you saying that :) I keep rearranging my own list as well.

    Anbolyn, I was also disappointed at the lack of actual cats in the story! I have always wanted to walk a maze. The only ones around here are the cornfield mazes. Thank you again for hosting this week!

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  6. This one didn't click for me at all - I'm not so keen on the supernatural, and the 'lover' thing was weird. But The Ivy Tree - now that's a great one.

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  7. I'm not a big fan of supernatural elements, so will stick with the choice of Nine Coaches Waiting for my next Stweart.... which will unfortunately not be read this week.

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  8. I enjoyed this book, but it isn't one of my favourites. Like Anbolyn, I'm finding that this one is moving further down my list as I read more of Stewart's novels. I'm reading The Crystal Cave now and loving it!

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  9. I've always loved the title of this one. Touch Not the Cat is so evocative. But I will probably start with The Ivy Tree or The Moonspinners, as those are the ones people seem most consistently to love.

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  10. With the different responses out there, I am curious to read this one and see what I think. I am glad to be forewarned about some of the odd elements.

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  11. vicki, I do enjoy a supernatural element - though not a super-scary one - but I thought this one was a bit silly.

    JoAnn, that's another favorite! I know you will enjoy it when you get to it.

    Helen, I was so hoping you would enjoy The Crystal Cave. I just love Merlin, and Ambrosius.

    Jenny, I was seriously disappointed by the lack of cats :) I know you don't like the Merlin books, so I'll be curious to see what you think of the suspense stories.

    Lory, thanks for stopping by! People seem to agree more about The Ivy Tree, or Nine Coaches - but this one does have its fans.

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  12. I've not rushed towards this one because I don't like telepathy. A little of the supernatural is fine, but telepathy so often feels silly.

    The lack of cats is diappointing too. I love them but because tha local cats so often see me with Briar they tend to flee whether she's with me or not.

    But, that said, I like Mary Stewart enough to try this one day.

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  13. So long since I read this I don't really remember it but I would be disappointed if cats didn't feature although I usually like a touch of the supernatural.

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  14. Jane, I'm willing to try most of her books, I think - except maybe the one about the Spanish convent! There is still a lot to enjoy in this one.

    Cat, it's only fair to say there are a couple of cats, but in very minor roles :) Not like in Thornyhold, or The Ivy Tree.

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  15. Nine Coaches Waiting is my favorite of Stewart's books so far but I have only read two :) I am now adding The Ivy Tree thanks to your review. And since you mentioned Barbara Michaels in this post too I think we shall be reading friends :)

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  16. samantha, thanks for stopping by! Reading friends are the best :) I see from your blog that you read quite a few mysteries as well. I hope you enjoy The Ivy Tree!

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Thank you for taking the time to read, and to comment. I always enjoy hearing different points of view about the books I am reading, even if we disagree!